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128 posts categorized "Brands"

Bill Marriott, Arne Sorenson, and chefs Thais Rodriguez, Lara Brown, Paula DaSilva, Jennifer OBrien, Laura Bartholomew, and Ilkay Suuctugu Every quarter, the Marriott International Food and Beverage team pulls together a “taste” panel with some of our top chefs and senior management. It’s sort of a “Chopped” without the judges,...

Fairfield by Marriott turns 30 this month. In the blink of an eye, I’ve seen the brand evolve from its first property in Atlanta, GA, to nearly 900 hotels around the world, entering new markets like Brazil, China, and Nepal this year. Though a lot has changed, I’m comforted to...

I spent some time in March at our Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was a wonderful stay at the historic hotel, which opened in the early 1930’s making it the oldest J.W. Marriott hotel in our system. We bought it in 1967 and our family has been going there...

There’s a famous 1980s hamburger TV commercial where a little old lady opens the bun of a hamburger only to find a dime-sized paddy and says, “Where’s the beef?” I recently opened the door to our test room and asked, “Where’s the color?” It’s no secret. I like red. Each...

I get a lot of great letters from our guests and here’s how one letter began: Oz at the Henry Hotel “I am writing to praise your outstanding team at the Henry Hotel in Dearborn, Michigan.” Attached to this letter was this picture of a beautiful Pekingese sitting in the...

My daughter, Debbie Marriott Harrison, recently returned from the ceremonial opening of the Port-au-Prince Marriott Hotel in Haiti. Debbie is our company’s global officer for Marriott culture and business councils. She was so moved by her trip that I thought it best for her to share it on my blog....

I’ve worked on a lot of development deals, but none have involved a former U.S. President, celebrities and our associates. It’s an incredible story of an inspired group coming together to build and now open the Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel in Haiti. Just five years ago on January 12, 2010, a...

It’s all about the customer. It was certainly true back in 1983 when we opened our first Courtyard Hotel and it’s true today as we gear up to open our one thousandth Courtyard. I would never have believed it. Back when we had the idea to create a select-service hotel...

I’m often asked, “How did you create such a great culture at Marriott?” There’s no magical formula or business consultant that you call and say, “build us a culture.” It comes from the soul of the executive team usually the founder. In our case, it came from our co-founders, my...

1967 comic book featuring instructions on how to make a jello mold. It all began in the late 1960’s when we published comic books for customers to read in our Hot Shoppes restaurants. We had celebrity articles on personalities like Sally Field, who was starring in “The Flying Nun.” You...